COVID-19 pandemic in Western Sahara

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COVID-19 pandemic in Western Sahara
Disease COVID-19
Virus strain SARS-CoV-2
Location Western Sahara
First outbreak Wuhan, Hubei, China
Index case Boujdour
Arrival date4 April 2020
(4 weeks)
Confirmed cases766 [1]
Active cases41
Recovered25
Deaths
2

The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached Western Sahara in April 2020. The released data from the Moroccan government excludes cases in territory controlled by the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.

Contents

Background

On 12 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, which was reported to the WHO on 31 December 2019. [2] [3]

The case fatality ratio for COVID-19 has been much lower than SARS of 2003, [4] [5] but the transmission has been significantly greater, with a significant total death toll. [6] [4]

Timeline

On 4 April, the first four cases were confirmed in Boujdour by the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO). [7]

On 9 April, MINURSO reported that two new cases were confirmed in Dakhla, bringing the number of confirmed cases to six. [8]

On 24 April, MINURSO reported four more cases, bringing the number of confirmed cases to ten. [9]

By 19 June there had been 26 confirmed cases, the latest of which in Laayoune. One patient had died (in Tindouf, 24 May) while 23 had recovered and 2 were still active cases. [10]

On 31 August there were 41 active cases in Laayoune. [11]

On 30 April 2021, Morocco granted Carles Puigdemont asylum. According to a source from the Moroccan foreign ministry, the decision was made in due to "the principle of reciprocity to host the Catalan independence leader" after Sahrawi President Brahim Ghali was allowed to go to Spain to get treated for COVID-19. [12]

Statistics

New cases per day

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Sahara</span> Territory in North and West Africa

Western Sahara is a disputed territory on the northwest coast of Africa. About 20% of the territory is controlled by the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR); the remaining 80% of the territory is occupied and administered by neighboring Morocco. It has a surface area of 266,000 square kilometres (103,000 sq mi). It is the second most sparsely populated country in the world and the most sparsely populated in Africa, mainly consisting of desert flatlands. The population is estimated at just over 500,000, of which nearly 40% live in Morocco-controlled Laayoune, the largest city in Western Sahara.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Politics of Western Sahara</span>

The politics of Western Sahara take place in a framework of an area claimed by both the partially recognized Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and Morocco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Political status of Western Sahara</span>

Western Sahara, formerly the Spanish colony of Spanish Sahara, is a disputed territory claimed by both the Kingdom of Morocco and the Popular Front for the Liberation of the Saguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro, which is an independence movement based in Tifariti and Bir Lehlou. The Annexation of Western Sahara by Morocco took place in two stages, in 1976 and 1979, and is considered illegal under international law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara</span> United Nations peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara

The United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara is the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara, established in 1991 under United Nations Security Council Resolution 690 as part of the Settlement Plan, which had paved way for a cease-fire in the conflict between Morocco and the Polisario Front over the contested territory of Western Sahara.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moroccan Western Sahara Wall</span> Separation barrier dividing the disputed territory of Western Sahara

The Moroccan Western Sahara Wall or the Berm, also called the Moroccan sand wall, is an approximately 2,700 km-long (1,700 mi) berm running south to north through Western Sahara and the southwestern portion of Morocco. It separates the Moroccan-controlled areas on the west from the Polisario-controlled areas on the east. The main function of the barriers is to exclude guerrilla fighters of the Polisario Front, who have sought Western Saharan independence since before Spain ended its colonial occupation in 1975, from the Moroccan-controlled western part of the territory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Settlement Plan</span> 1991 UN proposal for a referendum on Western Sahara

The Settlement Plan was an agreement between the ethnically Saharawi Polisario Front and Morocco on the organization of a referendum, which would constitute an expression of self-determination for the people of Western Sahara, leading either to full independence, or integration with the Kingdom of Morocco. It resulted in a cease-fire which remains effective until 2020, and the establishment of the MINURSO peace force to oversee it and to organize the referendum. The referendum never occurred.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Free Zone (region)</span> Region of Western Sahara

The Free Zone or Liberated Territories is a term used by the Polisario Front government of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, a partially recognized sovereign state in the western Maghreb, to describe the part of Western Sahara that lies to the east of a 2,200-kilometre (1,400 mi) border wall flanked by a minefield, often referred as the Berm, and to the west and north of the borders with Algeria and Mauritania, respectively. It is controlled by the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, as opposed to the area to the west of the Berm, which is controlled by Morocco as part of its Southern Provinces. Both states claim the entirety of Western Sahara as their territory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Sahara conflict</span> Armed conflict between Morocco and the Polisario Front

The Western Sahara conflict is an ongoing conflict between the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic/Polisario Front and the Kingdom of Morocco. The conflict originated from an insurgency by the Polisario Front against Spanish colonial forces from 1973 to 1975 and the subsequent Western Sahara War against Morocco between 1975 and 1991. Today the conflict is dominated by unarmed civil campaigns of the Polisario Front and their self-proclaimed SADR state to gain fully recognized independence for Western Sahara.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Politics of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic</span>

The politics of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic refers to politics of the Polisario Front's proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, a country in North Africa with limited recognition by other states, controlling parts of the Western Sahara region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manhasset negotiations</span> 2007–2008 talks between Morocco and the Saharawi Polisario Front

The Manhasset negotiations were a series of talks that took place in four rounds in 2007–2008 at Manhasset, New York between the Moroccan government and the representatives of the Saharawi liberation movement, the Polisario Front to resolve the Western Sahara conflict. They were considered the first direct negotiations in seven years between the two parties. Also present at the negotiations were the neighboring countries of Algeria and Mauritania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sahrawi nationality law</span>

Sahrawi nationality law is the law of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic's (SADR) governing nationality and citizenship. The SADR is a partially recognized state which claims sovereignty over the entire territory of Western Sahara, but only administers part of it. The SADR also administers Sahrawi refugee camps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic</span> Overview of and topical guide to the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic:

Félix Erviti Barcelona was a Spanish Roman Catholic priest, in the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. He was ordained as priest on February 19, 1933.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Security Council Resolution 1017</span> United Nations resolution adopted in 1995

United Nations Security Council resolution 1017, adopted unanimously on 22 September 1995, after recalling resolutions 621 (1988), 658 (1990), 690 (1991), 725 (1991), 809 (1993), 907 (1994), 973 (1995), 995 (1995) and 1002 (1995), the Council discussed the implementation of the Settlement Plan in Western Sahara and extended the mandate of United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) until 31 January 1996.

In United Nations Security Council resolution 1133, adopted unanimously on 20 October 1997, after reaffirming all previous resolutions on the Western Sahara, but recalling Resolution 1131 (1997), the Council extended the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) until 20 April 1998.

United Nations Security Council resolution 1224, adopted unanimously on 28 January 1999, after reaffirming all previous resolutions on the question of the Western Sahara, the Council extended the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) until 11 February 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Security Council Resolution 1232</span> United Nations resolution adopted in 1999

United Nations Security Council resolution 1232, adopted unanimously on 30 March 1999, after reaffirming all previous resolutions on the question of the Western Sahara, the Council extended the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) until 30 April 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Security Council Resolution 1394</span> United Nations resolution adopted in 2002

United Nations Security Council resolution 1394, adopted unanimously on 27 February 2002, after reaffirming all previous resolutions on Western Sahara and its commitment to achieve a lasting solution to the dispute, the Council extended the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) until 30 April 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Security Council Resolution 1406</span> United Nations resolution adopted in 2002

United Nations Security Council resolution 1406, adopted unanimously on 30 April 2002, after recalling all previous resolutions on the situation on Western Sahara, particularly Resolution 1394 (2002), the council extended the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) until 31 July 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sahrawi nationalism</span> Ideology supporting indigenous rule of Western Sahara

Sahrawi nationalism is a political ideology that seeks self-determination of the Sahrawi people, the indigenous population of Western Sahara. It has historically been represented by the Polisario Front. It came as a reaction against Spanish colonialist policies imposed from 1958 on, and subsequently in reaction to the Mauritanian and Moroccan invasions of 1975.

References

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  3. Reynolds, Matt (4 March 2020). "What is coronavirus and how close is it to becoming a pandemic?". Wired UK. ISSN   1357-0978. Archived from the original on 5 March 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  4. 1 2 "Crunching the numbers for coronavirus". Imperial News. 13 March 2020. Archived from the original on 19 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  5. "High consequence infectious diseases (HCID); Guidance and information about high consequence infectious diseases and their management in England". GOV.UK. Archived from the original on 3 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  6. "World Federation Of Societies of Anaesthesiologists – Coronavirus". www.wfsahq.org. Archived from the original on 12 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
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  8. "9 April 2020: REGULAR UPDATES BY MINURSO ON COVID-19". United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara. 9 April 2020. Archived from the original on 10 April 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  9. "24 April 2020: Regular updates by MINURSO on COVID-19". United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara. 24 April 2020. Archived from the original on 6 April 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  10. "19 June 2020: Regular updates by MINURSO on COVID-19". United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara. 19 June 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  11. "Report of the Secretary-General on the situation concerning Western Sahara S/2020/938" (PDF). United Nations. 23 September 2020. p. 1. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  12. "Morocco grants asylum to former Catalan leader in response to Polisario visit to Spain". Middle East Monitor . 30 April 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2021.